measurefest 17102013 nikki rae
DESCRIPTION
Presentation delivered at the first London Measurefest, October 2013. Check list to ensure that anaysts and marketers are managing healthy Google Analytics accountsTRANSCRIPT
GETTING GOOGLE ANALYTICS GOING FROM
GET GO
Nikki Rae
GOOGLE ANALYTICS CONSULTANCYGoogle Analytics Specialist
Agencies and ClientsGoogle Analytics Trainer
@analyticsgirl
What you See is Not Always What You Get
Common Conundrums
When paid search campaigns are not tracked
SymptomKeywords that you know you don’t rank for
appear in GA Organic report
When is Organic Search not Organic Search?
CauseUntracked paid search campaigns including
Adwords, Bing and Yahoo
FixCheck Adwords is auto-tagged/ manual taggedCheck any other paid search source is manual
tagged
When paid search campaigns are not tracked
SymptomDirect traffic landing on varied pages with
difficult to remember URLs
When is Direct Traffic not Direct Traffic?
CauseWhen campaigns are not tracked
When server redirects strip manual tagging
FixSocial Media tagged?
Email Campaigns tagged?Any links in offline docs tracked?
Server set to carry over query parameters in URLs?
Example
Obscure Landing Pages
When paid search campaigns are not tracked
SymptomYour site is showing as a referrer to itself
When a referrer is not a referrer #1?
CauseWhen sub/ cross domains are using incorrect
or inconsistent codeRedirect is stripping away cookie information
for cross domain URLs
FixUse Google Tag Assistant
Manually view the source codeTest the code using GA Tracking Code
Debugger
Example
Sub domain e.g. blog.futureinsightanalytics.comCross Domain e.g. analyticstraining.co.uk and
futureinsightanalytics.com
View tracking source to see if code has been
amended
When paid search campaigns are not tracked
SymptomSearch engines are showing as referrers
When a referrer is not a referrer #2?
CauseWhen Google Analytics recognises a search
engine as a website
FixManually view the referrers report for any
potential new/ obscure search enginesAdd the search engine by using code
Example
Use _addOrganic() method
_addOrganic(newOrganicEngine, queryParamName, opt_prepend)
When paid search campaigns are not tracked
SymptomGoogle shows in referrer report
When Google shows as a referrer?
CauseThe acquisition source Google does not mean
a visit has come via organic search or Adwords
FixManually view the referrers report
Ensure that if looking to view organic or paid traffic, the medium is organic or cpc
Example
Actual Links on Google Sites
When paid search campaigns are not tracked
SymptomKeywords are showing in GA that you don’t
rank for
When a Keyword is not your Keyword #1?
CauseYour tracking code is on someone else's site
FixManually view the hostname report
Use filters to ensure only traffic on your domain is going into the report
Example
This should be your domain name
When paid search campaigns are not tracked
SymptomThe keyword report and matched query
Adwords report are different
When a Keyword is not your Keyword #2?
CauseYou are viewing the Adwords Keyword report
rather than the matched queries report
FixIf looking for keyword inspiration from
Adwords, view the matched search query report
Example
Broad/ Phrase Matched Keywords
Actual Keywords Typed
When paid search campaigns are not tracked
SymptomYou have not segmented out brand traffic
When a Keyword is not your Keyword #3?
CauseYou are viewing brand search traffic in silo
FixBrand traffic is direct traffic, or direct traffic is brand traffic so ensure analyses recognises that and don’t just compare brand and non
brand traffic
Technical Check List
When paid search campaigns are not trackedAre all the Pages Tagged?
Use SEO Screaming Frog or similar tool to check the
pages on your site to ensure they are all tagged
When paid search campaigns are not trackedSet up Internal Site Search?
If you have a search engine on your website, then set up the report in Google Analytics
When paid search campaigns are not trackedMaximising Output?
Ensure Webmaster Tools and Google Adwords are linked to
the account
When paid search campaigns are not trackedHow Many Home Pages?
Ensure you only have one home page. This can be
controlled using a search and replace filter
When paid search campaigns are not trackedAre you looking at the right traffic?
Using filters, remove your staff/ agency traffic via IP address and network ISP
Check tracking code is on every page of the siteCheck the tracking code contains correct methods
for sub /cross domainsEnsure all campaigns are manually tagged
Ensure redirects are passing query parametersFor Adwords, use matched queries reportCheck hostname report for rogue domains
Use Internal Search ReportMaximise opportunities by linking GWT and
Adwords accounts with GAEnsure that pages are only being assessed once in
GA such as home pages with multiple URIs Remove your own traffic
Key Takeaways
When paid search campaigns are not trackedTools
Screaming Frog SEO SpiderGoogle Analytics Debugger
Google Tag AssistantGoogle Analytics URL Builder
When paid search campaigns are not trackedFurther Education
Google’s Analytics AcademyGoogle Analytics Help Center
Google Analytics BlogGoogle Analytics Forum
Google Analytics Solutions Gallery
Thank You